Bytheway... ‘Sticky blood’ may be making you feel ill

HUGHES syndrome is probably the most important medical disorder you’ve never heard of.

Also known as ‘sticky blood’, it is a disorder of the immune system that causes an increased risk of blood clots, and emerging research shows it is a major cause of conditions as varied as migraines, angina and recurrent miscarriages.

Some estimate that it may affect as many as 600,000 people in the UK, but many won’t realise it.

First identified in 1983 by Professor Graham Hughes, a London rheumatologist, the condition causes the body to make abnormal antibodies that target phospholipids, a component of cells. As a result, the blood can clot excessively and that makes the brain — and in pregnancy, the placenta — particularly vulnerable.

It affects people of all ages and is implicated in one in five strokes in people under 45 and in one in five miscarriages, as well as in unexplained deep vein thrombosis, migraines, seizures, memory loss and other neurological symptoms, and unexplained minor fractures and hip pain.

It is treatable — with low-dose aspirin once daily, or other stronger forms of anti-clotting drugs — though only if the condition is diagnosed in time, with a blood test to detect the antiphospholipid antibodies.

Recently, I attended the launch of The Graham Hughes International Charity, which aims to promote greater understanding and awareness of this dangerous disorder. All GPs have patients with the condition, but, sadly, we all miss cases.

Previously in these pages, Professor Hughes has urged anyone who has unexplained symptoms such as recurrent miscarriage and blood clots (where there is no clear cause) to press for a test.

We all need to ensure Hughes syndrome no longer flies under the diagnostic radar.